140 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



honey, and the combs are bright and 

 dry. They were wintered on the 

 summer stands, as I think all bees 

 should. More bees are lost by moving 

 back and fortli than in any other way. 

 By shading the entrances, the bees 

 will not fly except when it is warm 

 enough fortliem to return. Prospects 

 are good for white clover. I shall 

 sow 25 acres of alsike and sweet 

 clover, in wheat, in a few days. 



John A. Williamson. 

 Lodge,Ill.,reb. 16, 1883. 



Packing Bees in Sawdust. 



Last autumn I packed 9 colonies, on 

 Mr. James Heddon's plan, and one 

 two-frame nucleus on Mr. D. A. 

 Jones' plan. On Feb. 16, they had a 

 good cleansing flight; they are all 

 strong, so far, with butfew dead bees. 

 Even the two-frame nucleus is 

 strong and lively. Last autumn I put 

 two frames, full of honey, one on each 

 side of them, and two division boards 

 on each side. They are in a small 

 space in the hive. 1 think that pack- 

 ing in sawdust is the best plan to 

 winter bees, for this was a very hard 

 winter. I think that my bees will 

 winter through all right. I made a 

 bridge of Langstroth's portico, for 

 winter passage for the bees. Will it 

 do to leave them packed until May 1 1 

 Wm. Robekts. 



Vaughansville, O., Feb. 17, 1883. 



[Yes, sir ; keep them packed until 

 just before they need surplus boxes. 

 If thin cloth is over them, exchange 

 this for a solid board cover, or some 

 cloth they cannot guaw. — J.IIeddon.] 



Lar^e Yields— A Correction. 



In giving the additional number of 

 pounds for the 192J^ sections at the 

 rate of \% lbs. for every 20 sections 

 (see page 107), 14.3^^ lbs. should be 

 14?^ lbs. (Perhaps 141^ would be 

 nearer right, making the aggregate 

 3993^ lbs. A mistake of the printer.) 

 Another slight mistake occurred in 

 the first column : "On" instead of 

 in each cover. The covers are 7 

 inches high, and we use the inside of 

 the 4 sides of the rims for recording 

 slates. We were pleased to see Mr. 

 Caldwell's remarks on the same sub- 

 ject ; he presents it in still a different 

 light, and we desire to add a thought 

 or two Mr. F. overlooked. From tlie 

 yearly reports of our most successful 

 bee-keepers, Mr. F. will see that these 

 large yields are very rare cases. Be- 

 sides, the closest attention of the 

 apiarian, the co-operation of the most 

 favorable circumstances is necessary 

 to produce such results. Among the 

 many bee-keepers of the country, 

 there is only now and then one, who 

 obtains such a large yield, enabling 

 him to give one of those so-called 

 " exaggerated reports," and this may 

 be the only one in his life-time. Since 

 1875 we have kept from 100 to 200 col- 

 onies, yearly, and this is tiie only 

 time that we ever had such a yield or 

 anything near like it ; we had several 

 colonies that season, which overrun 

 300 lbs. considerably ; but even that is 

 such an exception that we hardly ex- 

 pect to see it ever repeated. We 



would gladly give $.500, or twice that 

 amount, to any one who could teach 

 us how to always produce such yields, 

 but we know that it is an impossi- 

 bility, and will be as long as we can- 

 not control nature. 

 Naples, N. Y. Greiner Bros. 



When they Bloom. 



Is white clover profitable as a 

 honey plant, the same season, when 

 sown in the spring? Will figwort or 

 motherwort bloom the first season, 

 when planted in spring? How long 

 does it lake to bring Rocky Mountain 

 bee plant to a producing state 'i 



Northboro, Iowa. O. E. Moore. 



[If sown early in the spring white 

 clover and motherwort yield honey in 

 the following June, and cleome (Rocky 

 Mountain bee plant) and figwort in 

 the July following. — Ed.J 



Feeding in Spring. 



Let me say to those who want a big 

 yield of honey next season, to try 

 feeding, as soon as bees can fly ; if 

 they have too much honey, take some 

 from them and feed sugar syrup. I 

 have tried it, and know the bees 

 will pay back the cost with compound 

 interest. Bees are wintering tolerably 

 well. I have lost 1 out of 44. I ex- 

 pected to lose 3, and perhaps more. 

 They had a good flight, and they 

 needed it, on Jan. 27 and 28, and Feb. 

 7, 8, and 19; they have plenty of 

 honey. I think they have consumed 

 15 to 20 lbs. already. I have 1 colony 

 wintering with the hive raised 2 inches 

 around, with coffee sacks on the 

 frames, and they are coming through 

 all right. I have 40 colonies in a dug- 

 out, on a side hill, facing soutli, and 

 banked up on the north and ends, 

 with dirt, even with the top, and cov- 

 ered over with hay and boards. This 

 winter I am trying cellar and out-door 

 wintering. I think the latter will 

 come out best, since the bees have 

 had a good flight. Wm. Malone. 



Oakley, Iowa, Feb. 23, 1883. 



Light in Bee Repositories. 



In conversation with an acquaint- 

 ance of mine, a carpenter, who had 

 made bee hives and boxes for his 

 neighbors, lie said lie was ready to 

 disagree with any bee-keeper that it 

 is necessary to exclude light from cel- 

 lars or bee houses wherein bees are 

 kept in winter. He claims that it is 

 natural for bees to be surrounded with 

 light, as they are when in trees and 

 hives when standing out of doors. 

 He does not believe it necessary to 

 make cellars and bee houses dark, so 

 far as the light is concerned. If the 

 darkness that is vvitliin the bee hive, 

 is all that is necessary for the good of 

 the bees, why not put windows in our 

 bee houses, clamps and celUrs, and 

 make them as light as our houses V 

 It might seem that I have read 

 euougli to have that question settled, 

 but I do not remember seeing or hear- 

 ing it explained why the light is ob- 

 jectionable to the inside of the bee 

 house. Pretty much all the reason I 

 can call to mind, is tlie fact that those 



places are built without windows, and 

 made as dark as possible. Of course, 

 light attracts bees out, but is it not 

 the temperature of the room which 

 keeps them in the hives 'i On consult- 

 ing Cook and Quinby, I see they both 

 say a cellar or house must be made 

 perfectly dark, but do not explain the 

 particular jeasons why. If " a little 

 knowledge is a dangerous thing," then 

 it is best for us, inexperienced ones, 

 not to form too positive opinions. Such 

 may be the case with my friend. 

 Ludlow, Vt. A. P. Fletcher. 



[Mr. Heddon promises us an article 

 on the above subject, which will an- 

 swer the questions asked. — Ed.] 



Wood Separators. 



Why not make them come the 

 whole width of the section box '■* 

 Then, it it cannot be done in making 

 the separator, we can lake our pocket 

 knives and, with straight edge, trim 

 out a notch in a few minutes, and the 

 whole question of bee glue is solved, 

 especially if you use tight-titting cases 

 and clamps. C. H. Deane. 



Mortonsville, Ky. 



Hires Full of Honey. 



I started in, last fall, with 44 colo- 

 nies ; lost three ; the rest are mostly 

 very strong ; wintered on the summer 

 stands, by turning a box over the 

 hive ; nearly every frame is full of 

 honey. Should I extract to give them 

 a chance to breed up 'i I want to in- 

 crease early. They coinineuced to- 

 carry in honey and pollen yesterday, 

 March 4. I find my hive is too short : 

 l-SJr^xllJ^xlO inches, side measure. 

 Should I change 't W.H. Pearson. 



Jarbalo, Kans., March 5, 1883. 



[If the frames are full of honey, use 

 the extractor to give the queen room. 

 As you have started in so liberally, it 

 will not pay to change frames.— Ed.] 



Transferring Bees. 



By his, Mr. Heddon's new process, 

 filling the hive with frames of foun- 

 dation, he tells us that he takes the 

 drum box, approaches the box or 

 queen to be transferred, and proceeds 

 in the ordinary way to smoke, turn 

 the hive " topsy turvy " and draw the 

 bees up. Would it not answer every 

 purpose to place the old gum or box 

 on top of the frame hive and proceed 

 to smoke and draw the bees down on 

 the foundation frames V If the down- 

 ward process will answer as well as 

 the upward expulsion, a board, to 

 cover the frame hive, could be pro- 

 vided, with a hole 7 or 8 inches in 

 diameter, or larger, cut in it ; place 

 the box hive on it, and everything 

 would be very convenient for business. 



Highlands, N. C. E. E. Ewing. 



[The downward expulsion process, 

 is not as good, etticieut and speedy as 

 the drum box and upward driving 

 plan, I laid down in •' Modern Trans- 

 ferring." Bees hive upwards maA 

 more readily than downwards.— 

 James Heddon.] 



